Chapter 318 Florida Statutes: Fines, Points, and License Suspension

Florida traffic fines and penalties almost always cost more than the number printed on the ticket. Base fines under Chapter 318 of the Florida Statutes start at $25 for minor speeding and climb to $250 for driving 30 mph or more over the limit, but mandatory court costs and surcharges typically push the final bill to roughly double the base amount. On top of what you pay, moving violations add points to your driving record, and enough points — or a ticket you ignore — will suspend your license.

Speeding Fines by Miles Over the Limit

Base fines for speeding follow a tiered schedule under Florida Statute 318.18:¹

1–5 mph over: written warning, no fine
6–9 mph over: $25
10–14 mph over: $100
15–19 mph over: $150
20–29 mph over: $175
30 mph or more over: $250

These are base fines only. The amount you actually pay the clerk will be substantially higher once Chapter 318’s required add-ons attach.

Court Costs and Surcharges That Inflate the Total

Every moving-violation citation in Florida carries a stack of statutory additions that have nothing to do with the base fine. The required components include $35 in court costs, a $2.50 criminal justice education fee, a $3 prosecution fee, a $2 additional court cost, a $12.50 administrative fee for records modernization, a $10 Article V assessment split among the state courts and public defender system, and a $3 law enforcement radio system surcharge.² Counties can add their own local surcharges on top of that.

In practice, a $100 base fine for 10–14 mph over the limit lands somewhere around $165 to $190 or more. A $250 base fine for 30+ over can easily clear $300. Budget for roughly double the base fine and you will be close.

Non-moving violations — a parking ticket, an expired tag, a broken taillight — carry a $30 base fine, lower than most moving violations but still subject to add-ons.¹

When Fines Double

Several circumstances double the base fine. Speeding in a school zone or at a designated school crossing doubles the amount owed, and a flat $50 fine applies in a school zone even if you were only 1–5 mph over the limit.¹

Speeding in a posted construction zone also doubles the base fine, but only when workers are actually present or equipment is in operation on or next to the road.² A second or subsequent conviction for speeding 30+ mph over within 12 months doubles the fine as well. Toll-facility speed zones have their own doubling provision.

Points on Your Driving Record

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles tracks violations through a point system assigned by violation type, not by fine amount:³

3 points: speeding up to 15 mph over, careless driving, and most other moving violations
4 points: speeding more than 15 mph over, reckless driving, running a red light, passing a stopped school bus
6 points: leaving the scene of a crash with property damage over $50, or any speeding violation that causes a crash

A 3-point moving violation is bumped to 4 points if it causes a crash. Points also drive insurance costs. A single speeding ticket can raise a premium by 15 to 30 percent, and the increase often lasts for several years.

License Suspension Thresholds

Accumulated points trigger automatic suspension at set thresholds:³

12 points within 12 months: suspension for up to 30 days
18 points within 18 months: suspension for up to 3 months
24 points within 36 months: suspension for up to 1 year

If a point-based suspension cuts you off from work, you may be eligible for a restricted “business purposes only” license that permits driving to and from employment, on-the-job travel, and trips for school, medical, or church purposes. You must show serious hardship and complete a department-approved driver training course within 90 days of reinstatement, or your license is canceled again until you do.⁴ The hearing is held by the DHSMV, not by the traffic court.

Separate from the point system, a first-time DUI with a breath- or blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher triggers a 6-month suspension, or 1 year with a prior suspension under the same statute. Refusing a lawful breath, blood, or urine test triggers a 1-year suspension for a first refusal and 18 months for a second.⁵

Reckless Driving Is Criminal, Not a Civil Ticket

Reckless driving sits outside Chapter 318’s civil infraction framework. Driving with willful or wanton disregard for safety, or fleeing a law enforcement officer, is prosecuted as a misdemeanor.⁶

First conviction: up to 90 days in jail, a fine of $25 to $500, or both
Second or later conviction: up to 6 months in jail, a fine of $50 to $1,000, or both
Reckless driving causing property damage or injury: first-degree misdemeanor; if the crash causes serious bodily injury, the charge becomes a third-degree felony

Every reckless driving fine carries an additional $5 surcharge for the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund.⁶ A conviction also adds 4 points and creates a criminal record that shows up on background checks.

What Happens If You Ignore the Ticket

If you fail to pay within 30 days, fail to appear at a scheduled hearing, or fail to complete traffic school after electing it, the clerk notifies the DHSMV and your license is suspended effective 20 days after the suspension order is mailed.⁷

The suspension is indefinite. To clear it, you must pay the outstanding ticket, any delinquent fees, and a reinstatement fee. Paying at that point counts as an admission of the infraction, which means points are then assessed. If those points cross a suspension threshold, you can end up with a second suspension on top of the one you just cleared.

Even after you pay, the suspension stays on your DHSMV record for 7 years from the date it was imposed.⁷ One safety valve: you can request a hearing within 180 days of the original violation date even if your license has already been suspended for failure to comply.

Your Three Options After a Ticket

Florida Statute 318.14 gives you three choices on a noncriminal traffic citation. You can pay the fine within 30 days and accept the points. You can enter a payment plan with the clerk of court. Or you can elect to appear before a hearing official and contest the charge.⁸

Pay and Accept the Points

Simplest, fastest, and the most expensive on your record. The points attach, your insurer will see the conviction, and the premium bump typically runs for years.

Elect a Basic Driver Improvement Course

For most moving violations, electing traffic school is the overlooked best move. If you qualify, adjudication is withheld and no points are assessed, which means no insurance-rate hit from that ticket.⁹ You still pay the civil penalty. The benefit is avoiding points, not avoiding the fine.

Limits apply. You can elect no more than once in any 12-month period and no more than eight times in your lifetime. You cannot elect traffic school if you were cited for speeding 30 mph or more over the limit, or for certain registration and licensing violations. Holders of a commercial driver license are excluded entirely, even if the violation happened in a personal vehicle.⁹ Elect but fail to complete the course on time, and you are deemed to have admitted the infraction, points attach, and you may owe additional processing fees.⁷

Contest the Charge

Electing to appear waives the fixed civil-penalty schedule. A hearing official can impose a fine of up to $500 for most moving violations, or up to $1,000 for speeding in a school zone or construction zone, which may exceed the amount originally on your ticket. The upside is the state’s burden: the infraction must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, the same standard used in criminal cases.⁹ If the citing officer does not appear, or the evidence is weak, that standard works for you. You can present photographs, witness testimony, and challenge the calibration or accuracy of equipment used. Beat the charge and there is no fine and no points.

Special Cases: CDL Holders and Out-of-State Drivers

CDL holders face sharper consequences under federal standards built into state law. Two serious traffic violations within three years trigger a minimum 60-day CDL disqualification. A third serious violation within three years adds at least 120 days off the road. Serious violations for CDL purposes include speeding 15+ mph over the limit, reckless driving, improper lane changes, and following too closely, even when the violation happens in a personal vehicle.

A Florida license does not insulate you from out-of-state tickets. Under the Driver License Compact, other member states report convictions back to Florida, and the DHSMV applies points under Florida’s schedule rather than the issuing state’s. The Nonresident Violator Compact works in reverse: if you hold an out-of-state license and get cited in Florida, ignoring the ticket can lead your home state to suspend your license at Florida’s request.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 318.18 – Amount of Penalties
2
The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.18 – Amount of Penalties
3
Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.27 – Authority of Department to Suspend or Revoke License
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.271 – Authority of Department to Modify Revocation, Cancellation, or Suspension Order
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 322.2615 – Suspension of License; Right to Review
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 316.192 – Reckless Driving
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.15 – Failure to Comply with Civil Penalty or to Appear; Penalty
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Procedures
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The Florida Legislature. Florida Statutes 318.14 – Noncriminal Traffic Infractions; Exception; Procedures